5 Ways to Develop Patience

Are you always in a hurry, or worried you aren’t getting ahead in life quickly enough? Maybe you think so much about your goals that you don’t live in the moment? If these descriptions sound like you, you’ll benefit from developing patience.

Slow down

If you’re impatient, the last thing you want is to slow down, yet, doing so can help you accomplish more. When you rush, adrenaline pumps through your system, giving you the energy to act fast. However, because you’re in such a hurry, you miss details. You don’t get much done, after all, since you don’t stop to prioritize or complete tasks well. Decide to slow down. Remind yourself you’ll achieve more if you consider information and work out which tasks need to be done first.

Practice waiting

Studies show children who learn to wait for rewards are often more successful than those who aren’t good at delaying gratification. You might be an adult now, but you can still learn and boost your chances of success in life. Practice the art of waiting when you want something. Whether you’ve got your eye on a yummy cake or feel like shopping for clothes, wait longer than usual. You’ll learn to be patient because you’ll come to realize it’s enjoyable to build anticipation. Rewards seem bigger when you don’t get them immediately.

Be present

Looking to the future is beneficial at times, helping you forge plans and make choices. Doing so all the time, though, can make you dissatisfied. When you long for what has yet to come, you aren’t content with the present. Spend ten minutes, several times a day, enjoying the moment. If thoughts of the future arise, let them go and turn your attention back to what you’re doing. As a result, you’ll learn to be patient and gather less stress.

Make friends with your impatience

Make friends with impatience? How can that help? Well, impatience is a feeling rather than a call to action. You have a choice when it’s experienced about how you behave. You can let the feeling exist rather than trying to alleviate discomfort. Once you do so, you’ll see not giving into the urge to act isn’t so bad after all. Ideal times to practice include occasions when you are impatient with others or yourself for being slow.

Think before you act

Impatient people are quick to speak and act, often without thought. You’ll develop patience if you pause before doing things. Consider your intention prior to speaking or carrying out a deed. What do you want the outcome of doing so to be? The best moment to take action is when you have clarity.

Impatience can make you frustrated and unhappy. It can even damage your relationships if you put pressure on others to hurry. You’ll benefit from slowing down and practicing waiting. Also, be present, and make friends with the discomfort of impatience. If you think before taking action too, you’ll develop patience fast, and life will get easier.

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One time, for no particular reason, I woke up with a list of things for my husband to do - it was just floating around in my head. I shouted them off to him - just line-itemed it. He responded with a confused sideways-look* and a "huh?" that sent me into some deep, unknown place. I continued in such a way that made him feel like he'd be less of a man if he couldn't do it. That sent him into defense-mode